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as you think you are; Bibbs。  You're on the mend; and it won't do you any harm

to please your〃



〃It isn't that;〃 he interrupted。  〃Honestly; I'm only afraid it might spoil

somebody's appetite。  Edith〃



〃I told you the child was too sensitive;〃 she interrupted; in turn。  〃You're a

plenty good…lookin' enough young man for anybody!  You look like you been

through a long spell and begun to get well; and that's all there is to it。〃



〃All right。  I'll come to the party。  If the rest of you can stand it; I can!〃



〃It 'll do you good;〃 she returned; rustling into the hall。  〃Now take a nap;

and I'll send one o' the help to wake you in time for you to get dressed up

before dinner。  You go to sleep right away; now; Bibbs!〃



Bibbs was unable to obey; though he kept his eyes closed。  Something she had

said kept running in his mind; repeating itself over and over interminably。

〃His plans for youhis plans for youhis plans for youhis plans for you〃

And then; taking the place of 〃his plans for you;〃 after what seemed a long;

long while; her flurried voice came back to him insistently; seeming to

whisper in his ear:  〃He loves his chuldernhe loves his chuldernhe loves

his chuldern〃〃you'll find he's always rightyou'll find he's always

right〃  Until at last; as he drifted into the state of half…dreams and

distorted realities; the voice seemed to murmur from beyond a great black wing

that came out of the wall and stretched over his bedit was a black wing

within the room; and at the same time it was a black cloud crossing the sky;

bridging the whole earth from pole to pole。  It was a cloud of black smoke;

and out of the heart of it came a flurried voice whispering over and over;

〃His plans for youhis plans for youhis plans for you〃  And then there

was nothing。



He woke refreshed; stretched himself gingerlyas one might have a care

against too quick or too long a pull upon a frayed elasticand; getting to

his feet; went blinking to the window and touched the shade so that it flew

up; letting in a pale sunset。



He looked out into the lemon…colored light and smiled wanly at the next house;

as Edith's grandiose phrase came to mind; 〃the old Vertrees country mansion。〃

It stood in a broad lawn which was separated from the Sheridans' by a young

hedge; and it was a big; square; plain old box of a house with a giant

salt…cellar atop for a cupola。  Paint had been spared for a long time; and no

one could have put a name to the color of it; but in spite of that the place

had no look of being out at heel; and the sward was as neatly trimmed as the

Sheridans' own。



The separating hedge ran almost beneath Bibbs's windowfor this wing of the

New House extended here almost to the edge of the lotand; directly opposite

the window; the Vertreeses' lawn had been graded so as to make a little knoll

upon which stood a small rustic 〃summer…house。〃  It was almost on a level with

Bibbs's window and not thirty feet away; and it was easy for him to imagine

the present dynasty of Vertreeses in grievous outcry when they had found this

retreat ruined by the juxtaposition of the parvenu intruder。 Probably the

〃summer…house〃 was pleasant and pretty in summer。  It had the lookof a place

wherein little girls had played for a generation or so with dolls and

〃housekeeping;〃 or where a lovely old lady might come to read something dull

on warm afternoons; but now in the thin light it was desolate; the color of

dust; and hung with haggard vines which had lost their leaves。



Bibbs looked at it with grave sympathy; probably feeling some kinship with

anything so dismantled; then he turned to a cheval…glass beside the window and

paid himself the dubious tribute of a thorough inspection。  He looked the

mirror up and down; slowly; repeatedly; but came in the end to a long and

earnest scrutiny of the face。  Throughout this cryptic seance his manner was

profoundly impersonal; he had the air of an entomologist intent upon

classifying a specimen; but finally he appeared to become pessimistic。  He

shook his head solemnly; then gazed again and shook his head again; and

continued to shake it slowly; in complete disapproval。



〃You certainly are one horrible sight!〃 he said; aloud。



And at that he was instantly aware of an observer。  Turning quickly; he was

vouchsafed the picture of a charming lady; framed in a rustic aperture of the

〃summer…house〃 and staring full into his windowstraight into his eyes; too;

for the infinitesimal fraction of a second before the flashingly censorious

withdrawal of her own。  Composedly; she pulled several dead twigs from a vine;

the manner of her action conveying a message or proclamation to the effect

that she was in the summer…house for the sole purpose of such…like pruning and

tending; and that no gentleman could suppose her presence there to be due to

any other purpose whatsoever; or that; being there on that account; she had

allowed her attention to wander for one instant in the direction of things of

which she was in reality unconscious。



Having pulled enough twigs to emphasize her unconsciousnessand at the same

time her disapprovalof everything in the nature of a Sheridan or belonging

to a Sheridan; she descended the knoll with maintained composure; and

sauntered toward a side…door of the country mansion of the Vertreeses。 An

elderly lady; bonneted and cloaked; opened the door and came to meet her。



〃Are you ready; Mary?  I've been looking for you。  What were you doing?〃



〃Nothing。  Just looking into one of Sheridans' windows;〃 said Mary Vertrees。

〃I got caught at it。〃



〃Mary!〃 cried her mother。  〃Just as we were going to call!  Good heavens!〃



〃We'll go; just the same;〃 the daughter returned。  〃I suppose those women

would be glad to have us if we'd burned their house to the ground。〃



〃But WHO saw you?〃 insisted Mrs。 Vertrees。



〃One of the sons; I suppose he was。  I believe he's insane; or something。  At

least I hear they keep him in a sanitarium somewhere; and never talk about

him。  He was staring at himself in a mirror and talking to himself。  Then he

looked out and caught me。〃



〃What did he〃



〃Nothing; of course。〃



〃How did he look?〃



〃Like a ghost in a blue suit;〃 said Miss Vertrees; moving toward the street

and waving a white…gloved hand in farewell to her father; who was observing

them from the window of his library。  〃Rather tragic and altogether

impossible。  Do come on; mother; and let's get it over!〃



And Mrs。 Vertrees; with many misgivings; set forth with her daughter for their

gracious assault upon the New House next door。





Mr。 Vertrees; having watched their departure with the air of a man who had

something at hazard upon the expedition; turned from the window and began to

pace the library thoughtfully; pending their return。  He was about sixty; a

small man; withered and dry and fine; a trim little sketch of an elderly

dandy。  His lambrequin mustacherelic of a forgotten Anglomaniahad been

profoundly black; but now; like his smooth hair; it was approaching an equally

sheer whiteness; and though his clothes were old; they had shapeliness and a

flavor of mode。  And for greater spruceness there were some jaunty touches;

gray spats; a narrow black ribbon across the gray waistcoat to the eye…glasses

in a pocket; a fleck of color from a button in the lapel of the black coat;

labeling him the descendant of patriot warriors。



The room was not like him; being cheerful and hideous; whereas Mr。 Vertrees

was anxious and decorative。  Under a mantel of imitation black marble a merry

little coal…fire beamed forth upon high and narrow 〃Eastlake〃 bookcases with

long glass doors; and upon comfortable; incongruous furniture; and upon

meaningless 〃woodwork〃 everywhere; and upon half a dozen Landseer engravings

which Mr。 and Mrs。 Vertrees sometimes mentioned to each other; after thirty

years of possession; as 〃very fine things。〃  They had been the first people in

town to possess Landseer engravings; and there; in art; they had rested; but

they still had a feeling that in all such matters they were in the van; and

when Mr。 Vertrees discovered Landseers upon the walls of other people's houses

he thawed; as a chieftain to a trusted follower; and if he found an edition of

Bulwer Lytton accompanying the Landseers as a final corroboration of culture;

he would say; inevitably; 〃Those people know good pictures and they know good

books。〃



The growth of the city; which might easily have made him a millionaire;  had

ruined him because he had failed to understand it。  When towns begin to grow

they have whims; and the whims of a town always ruin somebody。  Mr。 Vertrees

had been most strikingly the somebody in this case。  At about the time he

bought the Landseers; he owned; through inheritance; an office…building and a

large house not far from it; where he spent the winter; and he had a country

placea farm of four hundred acreswhere he went for t

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